Supportive care - kidney

Kidney disease symptoms

People with kidney disease report some common symptoms:

• Anaemia
• Tiredness
• Weakness
• Insomnia
• Changes to appetite
• Changes to taste
• Nausea and Vomiting
• Diarrhoea and Constipation
• Swelling
• Problems with breathing
• Pain
• Bone disease
• Itch
• Restless Legs

There are many ways to reduce symptoms and allow you to do the things that are important to you.

It is important that you speak with a member of your Renal Supportive Care Team if you would like help managing these symptoms.

The renal supportive care team

The Renal Supportive Care team work with you to ensure you are receiving the best care to manage symptoms. We aim to help you do the things that are important to you.

The renal supportive care team includes:

• You
• Your GP
• Community Nurses
• Pharmacist
• Your kidney doctor (also known as your nephrologist)
• Your other specialist doctors (diabetic, heart)
• Your specialist nurses
  • Transplant nurses
  • Dialysis nurses
  • Dialysis Access nurses
  • Clinic nurses
  • Palliative Care nurses
  • Supportive Care nurses
• Dietitians
• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Palliative Specialists
• Physiotherapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Service providers (in home help)

Planning ahead for your future

None of us knows what the future may hold. We may need to make decisions because of changes to our personal or health circumstances.

Sometimes we know these things will happen, or we can make a good guess that some things will change in the future.

Sometimes we can make some decisions while we feel well and plan for a time when things might change. Once written down, we can file the information away until it is needed. Remember, you can always change a plan, even at the time it is needed.

Everyday examples include

• buying extra groceries so that you have spares at home in case you run out.
• putting locks on your kitchen cupboards so your children are safe at home.
• locking your car to prevent it being stolen.

Some things require a little more planning and we often put these things off. However, you might already have:

• written a will
• moved house to be closer to family
• made some home modifications to make things easier for you to do
• arranged for help around the home
• thought about how you want to manage your kidney disease or other medical situations
• decided who should make decisions on your behalf

Other things we might need to think about include

• moving so that others can care for you
• advanced care planning
• how we manage end of life care.

You may like to talk to your Social Worker, GP about writing some of these plans or having assessments completed so that they are ready when you need them.

Renal supportive care resources

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